1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of photography and, more particularly, to photographic apparatus or cameras having structure therein for accurately locating a film container at an operative position within the apparatus or camera.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A large percentage of the photographic film sold at the present time is packaged in film containers, cartridges or cassettes which become part of a photographic system when inserted into a camera or other photographic device.
The film containers generally include an exposure aperture and structure which cooperates with complementary camera structure for accurately positioning the film container at an operative location within the camera to position a film unit in the container in coincidence with the exposure plane.
The degree of accuracy of film container positioning varies with the type of film contained therein and the functional complexity of the camera. Conventional film, processed outside of the camera, requires that the film container be properly oriented only for exposure. Self-developing film units that are manually pulled by tabs through a camera mounted processing station impose the additional requirement of properly orientating a film container withdrawal slot with respect to the processing station. A more recent version of the self-developing film unit is adapted for use in a camera having a film advance device for transporting the film unit from the film container to the processing station. In this last system, the film container must be accurately orientated with respect to the exposure plane, the processing station, and the film advance device.
Those skilled in the photographic art will appreciate that as the number of required orientations increases, the manufacturing tolerances of the complementary film container and camera positioning structure become more demanding. This in turn increases manufacturing costs and the ultimate retail price of the system.
The present invention is directed to providing a low-cost and easily manufactured (on a high volume basis) camera or photographic apparatus for use with a film container holding self-developing film units of the last-mentioned type. Representative examples of the film unit are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,415,644 and 3,594,165. Typical film containers for these film units are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,748,984; 3,820,137; and 3,821,049.
Previously known cameras having positioning structure therein for the last-mentioned type of film container are characterized by their conventional methods of construction. Individual high tolerance piece parts are sequentially assembled using traditional fasteners (screws, rivets, etc.) and/or joining processes (adhesive, thermo, and ultrasonic bonding). In order to achieve the required precision in the assembled product, it is often necessary to employ high tolerance fasteners and precision alignment jigs and fixtures. In some instances, certain piece parts have an adjustable mounting arrangement and must be "factory aligned" at some point in the manufacturing procedure. All of these factors significantly contribute to the manufacturing cost.
Representative examples of prior art cameras having film container positioning structure for establishing an operative location for a film container with respect to the exposure plane, processing station and film advance device are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,593,631; 3,640,724; 3,653,313; 3,672,283; 3,682,076; 3,683,771; 3,748,984; 3,705,537; 3,779,770; and 3,810,211.
In an attempt to reduce production costs there have been previous camera designs which are based upon modular construction techniques. The modular system is characterized by modular subassemblies that are joined together without or with a minimum of conventional fasteners. Examples of cameras utilizing modular construction are set forth in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,484,510; and 3,412,662.
None of the prior art disclosures, however, suggest or teach the concept of providing a modular camera having film container positioning structure for orientating a film container with respect to the exposure plane, film advance device, and film processing station.